CHAPTER 3:THE FIRST ENCOUNTER

Chapter 3: The First Encounter

The morning sun rose over the quiet town, casting golden light through the window of Ryo's house. The world outside was waking up, but inside, everyone was still asleep, exhausted from the strange events of the previous day.

Hajime, however, had already slipped out. Feeling hungry, he decided to visit the nearby convenience store to buy some snacks. As he walked along the empty street, stretching his arms, he suddenly heard panicked screams.

He turned his head just in time to see a man soaring through the air—riding on a cloud.

"What the—?!" Hajime took a step back, watching as the flying man hovered above the frightened crowd. The stranger, a boy with messy dark hair and a cocky grin, pointed at the people below and smirked.

"Hey, normal folks! How about a little weather check? Let's see how you handle some cloud bullets!"

Without warning, the boy unleashed a barrage of small, high-speed clouds that struck the ground like tiny explosions. People screamed, running for cover. Hajime clenched his fists.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" he shouted.

The boy turned his gaze to Hajime and chuckled. "Just having a little fun, testing my power. Wait a minute…" His eyes locked onto Hajime's hand, where the fire ring rested. "Oh? You have one of those too?"

Hajime looked at his own hand, then at the mysterious boy. "You… you got a ring as well?"

The boy smirked. "That's right. My name's Yuuma. Looks like we're both chosen."

Hajime took a deep breath, trying to concentrate. I have to fight him… but how do I use my power? He clenched his fists, willing the fire within him to emerge. But nothing happened.

Yuuma noticed his struggle and grinned. "Hah! You don't even know how to use it yet? Pathetic."

Before Hajime could react, Yuuma flicked his fingers, and a dense cloud shot towards him like a missile. Hajime barely dodged it, stumbling back. Another attack followed. Hajime gritted his teeth, trying to focus, but he was at a complete disadvantage.

Then, suddenly—

BAM!

A massive figure crashed into Yuuma, sending him flying into a nearby wall.

"Ahh!" Yuuma groaned in pain as he looked up. Standing before him was Ren, his body radiating immense strength. His muscles tensed, his towering frame casting a shadow over Yuuma.

"So, you're another one of us?" Ren said, rolling his shoulders. "Fine. Let's see how tough you are."

Before Yuuma could respond, Ren dashed forward and launched a devastating kick. Yuuma barely managed to lift his arms to defend himself, but the impact sent him skidding across the ground.

"Damn… this guy's strong," Yuuma muttered, coughing.

Hajime, still determined to use his power, clenched his fists again. Come on, fire…

Then—his hands ignited. Flames flickered to life around his knuckles.

"Yes!" Hajime grinned. He charged forward, his fiery fists swinging toward Yuuma. The impact sent Yuuma tumbling back once again, leaving burn marks on his clothes.

"Alright, alright! Enough already!" Yuuma waved his arms. "It was just for fun! I wasn't gonna hurt anyone!"

Ren, unimpressed, cracked his knuckles. "You don't threaten people for fun."

Hajime smirked, crossing his arms. "You had it coming."

Yuuma groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "Fine, fine. Let's call it even. You guys are strong—I respect that. So… how about we team up?"

Hajime and Ren exchanged glances. After a moment, Ren scoffed. "Hmph. Just don't pull that 'fun' stunt again."

Yuuma laughed nervously. "Deal."

The three of them returned to the house, where Ryo and Akira were still half-asleep.

"Huh?" Ryo rubbed his eyes, then suddenly noticed Yuuma. Without hesitation, he punched him.

"Ow! What the hell, man?!" Yuuma groaned, holding his cheek.

Ryo glared. "You were terrorizing people, weren't you?"

Yuuma held up his hands. "Hey, I said I was just messing around! No harm done, right?"

Ryo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We have these powers for a reason. If we're going to use them, we should use them to protect people."

Yuuma stretched his arms and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Got it."

Just as things were starting to settle down—

BOOM!

A massive explosion echoed from the streets. The ground shook. Screams followed.

Everyone rushed to the window, and what they saw sent chills down their spines.

A monstrous, black-armored creature loomed in the distance. Its body twisted unnaturally, as if it were cursed. Its presence alone spread a wave of fear throughout the town.

Ryo clenched his fists. "It's time."